Nederland

About Nederland, CO

From coffin racing in the snow to fireworks and festivities on the Fourth of July, Nederland has something to offer residents and visitors in every season. The mountain town west of Boulder, Colorado, is known to attract eccentric characters and some tough souls. Those who brave the weather like the contrast of rustic mountain life to the more city-like atmosphere of Boulder 19 miles down the mountain. They also like the community, which shows its true colors to an international audience in March with the annual “Frozen Dead Guy” festival in honor of its cryogenically frozen resident.

The town was born as a settlement for gold, silver and, later, tungsten miners. The promise of riches in the town's mines drew thousands of residents to the mountains in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It had more than 3,500 residents at its peak. There are now about 1,400 residents.

Residents of smaller mountain towns look to Nederland for necessities and entertainment through its shopping center, supermarket, medical center, teen center, independent theater and library. The town also boasts popular restaurants and bars, a hardware store, antique shops, liquor stores and other small shops, plus proximity to the mountain gaming towns of Black Hawk and Central City and the Eldora ski resort.

Nederland's town park includes a children's fishing pier, a grass amphitheater, a 1,500-square-foot pavilion/picnic shelter, a children's playground, walking trails and a creekside picnic area. Chipeta Park, named for the wife of Ute Chief Ouray, is on the old rodeo grounds site on Lakeview Drive.

Nederland is governed by a mayor and six trustees who are elected to four-year terms.

Name derived from: Dutch investors who bought a nearby Caribou mine named the community Nederland, their word for "low lands," as compared to Caribou's higher elevation.

Year incorporated: 1859

Elevation: 8,236 feet

Size: 1.8 square miles

Did you know … ? It's so windy in Nederland that former mayor Jim Miller has been known to say that they use boat anchors for weather vanes.

Scientists suspect that a meteor created Mud Lake, northwest of town.

• Eldora ski resort
• Chipeta Park

Population: 1,337

Population density: 909.5/sq mi

Median Household Income: $50,588

Avg. household size: 2.29

Age distribution:

• 11.4% are under 10
• 9% between 10-19
• 18.5% in their 20s
• 21.6% in their 30s
• 22.7% in their 40s
• 10.3% in their 50s
• 3.1% in their 60s
• 3.4% are over 70

Median age: 34

Relationship status:

• 52.5% married
• 32.9% single
• 13.1% divorced
• 1.6% widowed

Percent single: 21.6% of population are single males, 11.3% of population are single females

Homes with children: 21.6% have kids

Home Type:

• 98.1% single-family
• 0% condo
• 1.9% other

Owners v. Renters: 63.6% own; 36.4% rent

Avg. single-family home value:

• 1 BD – $249,000
• 2 BD – $279,000
• 3 BD – $365,000
• 4BD – $436,000

Home size in Sq. Ft.:

• 1,000 or less – 29.5%
• 1,000-1,400 – 17.7%
• 1,400-1,800 – 17.3%
• 2,300-2,800 – 19.6%
• 2,800-3,600 – 12.9%
• more than 3,600 – 2.8%

Median home size: 1,480 sq. ft.

Year built:

• 2000-present – 6.9%
• 1980-1999 – 29.4%
• 1960-1979 – 34.4%
• 1940-1959 –8%
• 1920-1939 – 11.8%
• 1900-1919 – 7.5%
• before 1900 – 1.9%

Avg. year built: 1973

Commute time:

• 16.6% – 10 min. or less
• 4.1% – 10-20 min.
• 9.9% – 20-30 min.
• 35.2% – 30-45 min.
• 27% – 45-60 min.
• 7.2% – more than 60 min.

Avg. Commute time: 33.321 min.

• July is on average the warmest month, with an average high temperature of 79 degrees.
• January is on average the coldest month, with an average high temperature of 39 degrees, and an average low of 18 degrees.
• July is on average the wettest month, with an average of about 2.16 inches of precipitation.
• The highest temperature on record was 96°F in 1989.
• The lowest temperature on record was -39°F in 1951.

• Town of Nederland homepage
• Nederland Chamber of Commerce